Tackling wastage and inefficiency in the health sector

Governments and the public are concerned about waste and inefficiency in the health sector. Although there are likely to be various underlying causes, wastage often results from limited information and from limited accountability for decisions about the use of resources. Corruption and fraud occur where there are conflicting interests in combination with limited accountability. Policy-makers, managers, providers and service users should feel responsible for ensuring that scare health resources are used efficiently. They should actively combat wastage by identifying the causes, and then make corresponding changes in policy, management and technical procedures.